Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa) bulbs send up small flowers, but they pack a colorful punch:
Originating from Turkey, these bulbs are in the same family as the early-blooming scilla, and they sometimes come up so early they poke through the snow. The bulbs will naturalize and they are supposedly deer and rodent-proof which is one reason I wanted to try them.
I planted a mix last fall that grows 4 to 8 inches tall with white, pink, purple and lavender flowers:
Glory-of-the-Snow bulbs prefer full sun and well-drained soil. I planted them under deciduous shrubs knowing they’d get plenty of light before the shrubs leafed out. The flowers make a great carpet under daffodils and early-blooming tulips, and they are hardy in Zones 3-8.
My bulbs started flowering at the very beginning of April. The flowers withstood several thunderstorms with small hail and continued to bloom for several weeks. I can’t wait to see next year’s display!
2 comments
Love these little flowers, Em. For some reason, blue flowers make me happy!! Maybe because there are not a lot of them available. Although, lately I think I’ve seen more and more of them. I’ll have to get some of these bulbs–from a store–or will you have some extras soon?
I must admit I’d never heard of these flowers until last fall. I got mine via mail order. I tried the Glorious Mixture from John Scheepers (with all the colors), but if you wanted just blue, EasyToGrowBulbs.com has ‘Blue Giant’ for a very reasonable price (25 bulbs for $5.95—they’ll have more in stock next fall). I don’t know if the Bruce Company or Jung’s sells them in the fall. They sure are fun little bulbs (and rodent-proof)!
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